Habitat's work in Zambia

Zambia News and Stories

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Country Profile

Habitat for Humanity Zambia

Habitat for Humanity Zambia is a non-profit housing programme whose goal is to eliminate poverty housing around the world by working in partnership with poor and low-income families. We believe that every man, woman and child should have a safe and affordable place to live. From secure land tenure to water and sanitation to housing finance, we ensure programs and advocacy meet the needs of the local community.

The housing need in Zambia

The Zambian government estimates 1.3 million housing need by 2030. This need comes with various opportunities in housing and related services such as water and sanitation, drainages, solid waste management etc. The need is plenty for quality programming.

The government continues to implement the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP), that seeks to close the housing gap, especially improving housing and related services in peri-urban areas where almost 70 percent of the city dwellers reside. Zambia continues to be on course to achieve quality shelter for all by 2030; if a minimum of 200,000 houses is built annually.

How Habitat addressed the need in Zambia

Habitat Zambia is active in a number of ways to address the housing need in the country including house construction for vulnerable groups; raising awareness of issues affecting poor and vulnerable groups on poverty housing; HIV/AIDS prevention and the need for action; advocating for fair and just housing policies for Orphans and Vulnerable groups in Zambia; and volunteer engagement.

Here are some examples of Habitat projects in Zambia:

Vulnerable groups housing
Since 2005, the VGH program has become the flagship ofHabitat´s program in Zambia, with 800 families and over4,560 individuals benefitting from it. The project providesa fully subsidized three-room house and secures housingrights for marginalized and vulnerable communities (withmainly Orphans and Vulnerable Children – OVC families)in Zambia’s Lusaka, Copperbelt and Central Province.

Each new house constructed includes a ventilated improvedpit latrine for better sanitation, trainings on inheritanceplanning to caregivers to secure assets for their children andHIV/AIDS awareness and OVC care for the families and thecommunity. In its new strategic plan (2015 - 2018), HabitatZambia plans to scale up the VGH program to serve morethan 1,200 vulnerable families in 30 new districts.

Water and sanitation
The program´s aim is to provide safe drinking water and sanitation; hygiene promotion through increased access to clean and safe drinking water; promotion of good personal and environmental hygiene in order to protect health and ensure the optimal use of all water supply and sanitation facilities which will impact on beneficiary’s health.

New homes through the Revolving Fund
This program is targeted at the poor but viable families and individuals and provides low-cost, two- to three-bedroom houses in the slum areas of the Copperbelt and onebedroom house in rural areas of Zambia.

Meet a Habitat family

Grace Banda is a widow and has been a resident of Kamanga compound since 1984. She takes care of seven children. Since moving into her new home she says she is so thankful that God answered her prayers of living in a decent house. She says: “I am so much at peace when I go to the market to sell produce, I don’t have to worry about the children’s safety”. She laughs and says the rains and winds that used to destroy her home will have nothing on her household – although she still thinks of the many other families who are living in poor shelter and prays for them, too.

Grace also says that her household has not suffered from the usual respiratory diseases due to overcrowding and dirt. She points at the flower over her window and recalls, still unbelievingly, that the kindest people she had ever met, came to build her home and for that she is so thankful: “I wish them well for the rest of their lives, may God continue to bless them.”

The only evidence of the old house that Grace lived in, is a one room that she has kept so that her mentally challenged son Aswell can live in. When Aswell has an attack he can get violent which could harm the younger ones and even her.

Despite these challenges, Grace prays for continued strength of all Habitat employees and volunteers so that their work may continue to spread to all those in need.

What you can do

You can help Zambian families improve their living conditions by taking one or more of the following actions: